This paper describes a computer simulation study of brittle particle a
ttrition in a shear cell in two dimensions. The results obtained indic
ate that the rate of attrition is directly related to the total amount
of work performed on the system, including the initial work required
to accelerate and expand the bed. These results seems to be in general
agreement with the results of similar experiments performed in three
dimensions for some materials. The results indicate that experimental
errors may arise from the inertia of the movable plate of the shear ce
ll. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.